Steve Klamkin WPRO News
Just in time for Labor Day, up to 45,000 Rhode Islanders will see their extended unemployment benefits dry up at the end of the week as additional jobless payments come to an end, and the head of the state agency that administers unemployment benefits says jobs are plentiful, and he is urging people to return to work.
“That’s why I’ve been telling everyone, we have to get you connected to work, you have to go get a job,” said Matt Weldon, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
“I think people thought, well I know they thought this, because I’m hearing it from claimants every day that people are saying online “don’t worry, they’re going to continue the programs”, or “don’t worry, you can just start a new claim”. Here’s the answer, you can’t.”
“Unless you’ve been back to work and have earned eighty times Rhode Island’s minimum wage, which comes out to $920… if you haven’t done that, you’re not going to qualify for a new claim. There’s no money to pay,” he told Matt Allen Monday on WPRO.
Wheldon praised the benefits program for helping to revive the state’s economy, which was devastated by the quick shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic early in 2020.
“Now it’s been about 17 months, it’s a lot longer than anybody envisioned, and I’m glad it was there because we put a lot of money into Rhode Island’s economy.”
“In the extra $600 or extra $300, just that alone has paid about $1.85 billion dollars… into Rhode Island’s economy,” Weldon said.
“Just go out in the community and look, everywhere is hiring, every single place I go to. I think we’re going to be able to fill these jobs.
“We’ve had more job postings than people collecting unemployment that used to work in those industries, for some industries, like, when you talk about accommodations and food services, the hospitality industry,” Weldon said.
Nationwide, about 7.5 million Americans will see and end to their Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits end, according to the Century Foundation think tank.
